Original Death at a Funeral –
It was released in the year 2007. It is a British comedy
directed by Frank Oz. The screen play was written by Dean Craig. This film focuses
on a family attempting to resolve a variety of problems whilst attending a
funeral. It is 91minutes long.
Remake of Death at a Funeral –
This film was released in the year 2010. It is an American
dark comedy. It has the same storyline as the original. It is 92minutes long. It
was directed by Neil LaBute and has the same screen writer as the original
film.
The 2007 film had a
budget of $9 million where as the 2010 version has a budget of $21 million.
This screen play has a linear structure. There is no voice over’s.
There is one main character although there are a few supporting characters with
their important roles as well.
This remake was made only a few years after the original so
the concept of the remake wasn’t for it to be set in a more recent age, with
better quality and better technology. The concept was for it to be set in a
different society, culture and different country. Watching the original and the
remake shows the binary opposites between these things.
Because there are younger and more, well known actors in the
remake, the younger population are more likely to watch this film.
The Director of the 2007 version won the audience award at
both the US comedy arts festival and the Locarno International Film Festival.
The 2010 film was nominated for a BET award as well as the Teen Choice Award.
The fact that it was nominated for a Teen Choice award also shows that it was
targeted towards younger people.
The British comedy is typical of it genre. It is a social
comedy as it draws on class and conflict and social realism. This film has funny situations and punch lines.
Binary opposites are used in this film. It’s based on what should be a serious
event but there is comedy as well. There are the binary opposites showing life
& death, gay or straight, higher class & working class, young & old
and male & female. They are typical of the comedy genre because they touch
on sensitive subjects which most people would be afraid of going normally.
The American dark comedy is alike the original. The screen
play is very alike so all the events that happen in the original film happen in
this one and most of the lines are the same too.
The original film is set in an American home. The remake is
set in a British home. They are both set in the same characters house with all
the same characters. The film seem extremely similar with the only difference
being the actors, and the culture; with the original being stereotypically white
British and the remake, stereotypically black American.
Because both films were filmed so close to each other, there isn’t
a different reflection of time period onto the storyline and film as a whole. All
the technology is the same as well as the way they are dressed.
These films both have so many things going on in them it is
hard to identify Propps theory. There are more that 1 character that fits some Propps
theory character and some roles which no one fits into. I think this film can
get away without having Propps theory, because it is a highly executed comedy.
The
first point where we know it’s a comedy is when the corps arrives at the house
but it isn’t the correct body. This happens within the first couple of minutes
after the film starts so therefore this film didn’t have an equilibrium and I don’t
consider it to have Strauss’ theory. Most part of the films are at the disequilibrium
stage with only the last few minutes being the new equilibrium. But even then, the disruptions wasn’t really
solved, all that happened was the funeral finished so the film finished.
